Growing Up With Allegretto as Your Dad
by AngelOfFluffiness
Summary: Small stories about Allegretto and Polka raising their family together. Beat stays along for the ride as Allegretto works alongside Polka for their next adventure; raising children. All in good fun, that's for sure! Diaper changes and all of the right questions, it's sure to be one special, beautiful, and wondrous adventure.
1. Melody's Introductory Words

_**So this is my new Eternal Sonata chapter fic! Really excited about this one! HamhaLove donated Melody, the speaker in this small blip and a child as this continues, to me. She's helped me ALOT so go check her out! The rest of this story is told in third person though.**_

_**I do not own Eternal Sonata, just Harmony and partially Melody! Thank you :) Enjoy and review!**_

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Our Dad...he's an epic Dad! He really is! Though he does have...odd moments. These are some of my favorite moments with my very special and wonderful family. I love them all, but I must say, growing up with Allegretto as my Dad...was a very interesting experience I will never forget! I love you Dad, I love you Mom! I hope you all enjoy my family as much as I do. Come on in, I promise we don't bite!

Just don't anger my Dad and remember not to speak ill of my family or I will hunt you down!

~Melody.


	2. Diaper Change

_**So this is my new Eternal Sonata chapter fic! Really excited about this one! HamhaLove donated Melody, the speaker in this small blip and a child as this continues, to me. She's helped me ALOT so go check her out! The rest of this story is told in third person though.**_

_**I do not own Eternal Sonata, just Harmony and partially Melody! Thank you :) Enjoy and review!**_

* * *

**Growing Up With Allegretto as Your Dad**

**Chapter 1: Diaper Change**

Dawn's light rises in Baroque, proud and early as it crawls across everything. It sneaks gently through the curtains of a particular bedroom of a blue house. This house has three bedrooms, one used by a brown haired eighteen year old. Another goes unused and the last one has a large bed and a crib. Beams of light gently trickle into this room, onto the bed, and touch a young, sleeping face; two sleeping faces to be exact. This house, a beautiful one, houses a very...special...family.

"Mama."

The young blond that was becoming accustomed to that name stirred a bit. The silver haired four year old trying to wake her crawled closer, tapping her a little. She didn't have to continue, because soon enough, the sounds repeated but they were louder. A baby babbling and squawking, a bunch of rustling and crashing, all accompanied by a frustrated yell. At all this, the blond mother jolted and sat up, her eyes staring at the blue walls of the bedroom in no time flat.

"Oh no," she murmurs, sighing as she rubs her blue-gray eyes.

"Mama?" the little four year old blinks.

"It's alright Melody," Polka smiles at the little silver haired girl.

"What's with all the noise?"

"I...I'm afraid to find out."

With that, the twenty-four year old slowly rises from the bed, her pink nightgown fluttering as she makes her way to the bathroom on her little white feet moving across light purple carpet, immediately giggling at the sight that awaited her in the bright white bathroom. There stood her husband, worn and obviously frustrated with short silver hair and ocean blue eyes. His hands held a small two year old baby, whose head was pointed at the ground and his feet were flailing in the air closer to Allegretto's face. Wrapped on both Allegretto and on the baby's heads was a single, perfectly clean diaper; one for each head. The baby laughed like crazy, squalling and flailing, little blond hairs in its tiny head.

"I'm glad someone's having fun..." muttered Allegretto, having not noticed his wife and four year old daughter.

"M...Mama, should my brother look like that...?" Melody asks, her eyes sparkling bluish gray.

Little tiny feathers sat in the girl's short silver hair as she looks up at her mother questioningly, a child's white nightgown clothing her. Allegretto looks up and sighs in some form of exhaustion and defeat, looking back down at the still laughing but upside-down baby.

Polka chuckles a bit, "No dear. Um...Allegretto, here. Take Melody on back to bed, I'll take care of our little Harmony."

He nodded all too happily, "Deal!"

"Oh okay..." Melody murmurs, "...but Mama? If he shouldn't look like that, why does he?"

Allegretto sighs, handing Harmony off before taking Melody's hand and starting for the bedroom;

"I've got this one. Cause Daddy should not change diapers. That's why."

"Sadly enough, he's right on that."

Polka's giggles reverberated as Allegretto yanked the diaper off his own head with his freehand and tossed it over his shoulder carelessly, mostly cause he knew what would happen behind him. His blond haired wife, just narrowly looking from the corner of her eye, caught it and disposed of it properly before continuing on with fixing Harmony.

"Daddy...I never ended up like that...did I?"

"Uh...um...well..."

"I'm not commenting on that!" calls Polka, half laughing.

"Oh thanks, how I appreciate that!" Allegretto replies, chuckling to himself.

"Daddy! How could you!" Melody's eyes went wide.

"Oh come on! You're here in big girl pants now, so obviously I didn't do that bad!"

Melody sighs, climbing back into the large, comfortable bed with her father, waiting with him until Polka returned with a correctly changed Harmony, laying him back in the crib before joining the bed. Sighing, Allegretto wrapped his arms protectively around Polka, Melody between the two as to not get squashed. Polka sighs calmly, slowly inching back towards sleep, Melody buried into her front side as the two lie in Allegretto loose but protective hold;

"Love you Allegretto, love you Melody."

"Love you Polka, love you Melody."

The reply from Melody was one of a breathy sigh and a small snore. Allegretto smiles, kissing her cheek before kissing Polka lightly, both of the precious women in his life falling back to sleep, shortly followed by the man himself.


	3. How I Met Your Mother

_**So this is my new Eternal Sonata chapter fic! Really excited about this one! HamhaLove donated Melody, the speaker in this small blip and a child as this continues, to me. She's helped me ALOT so go check her out! The rest of this story is told in third person though.**_

_**I do not own Eternal Sonata, just Harmony and partially Melody! Thank you :) Enjoy and review!**_

* * *

**Growing Up With Allegretto as Your Dad**

**Chapter 2: How I Met Your Mother**

It was a couple years down the road again as Polka was cooking breakfast, her hair happily in its twirly pigtails as she worked. In the meantime, Allegretto sat in the living room, where he was being bombarded with questions...for apparently no reason at all!

"Daddy, how old are you?"

"Much older than you," he replies to his four year old son.

"Daddy! That's not an answer!" protests the sister, six years old now.

"Oh come on, why do you guys care?" he asks.

"Fine! I have a better question!" cheers Melody.

"Ooh, me too," Harmony chirps.

Polka giggles as Allegretto sighs in exasperation, his neatly set silver hair in his blue eyes. Smiling all the while, he looks at his blond son and his silver haired daughter.

"What is it this time?"

"How did you meet Mommy?" Melody and Harmony manage in unison.

Polka silences at that point and Allegretto tilts his head, smiling a bit as he rests his hands on their heads.

"Finally! A question I'd be honored to answer."

The children cheer excitedly and sit down before their father. He has, as Polka and his children notice, a glow about him now. It is difficult to place but…it is very nice to see. His daughter, Melody, is fair skinned with silky strands of silver hair falling softly around her shoulders. The youth in her sky-blue eyes shimmers and a hair decoration with feathers on it accents her hair. His son Harmony, the younger of the two, simply seems ready to explode with excitement. His short blond hair is fluffy and neat, accenting the grayish blue of his eyes. Polka just keeps at her cooking, quieted as she simply wants to hear what her husband has to say.

"Your mother…I first saw her in my home city of Ritardando, when she was selling Floral Powder. She…stuck out to me greatly, all beautiful and…rather angelic really. I found it strange how I noticed her right away…since I had never paid mind to the people there, we had people coming and going all the time. But…I never lost her image in my mind. Never."

Melody and Harmony nod rapidly, eyes wide and fixated on their father; full of wonder and adoration. Polka felt her face burn red slightly, but attempted to keep her focus. Banana bread in the oven while eggs and sausage cooked on the stove top.

"When a man fell ill…she tried to use magic to save him and was immediately feared. I wasn't afraid, I knew better…but I felt so sorry for her; magic was for those who were going to die or were extremely ill. Somehow…I already didn't want to see her die…and I didn't even know her yet."

Polka made a squeak, her face burning red and a strange scent poking in the air. Briefly, her children looked to her and Allegretto looked up at her too, worried greatly.

"Mommy, the banana bread is burning…" Melody calls.

"Ah! O…oh right!" Polka yelps, quickly getting mitts to get the bread from the oven.

"And so is your face Mommy!" Harmony cries.

"Mommy, are you feverish?" asks Melody.

Allegretto chuckles a bit when he finally realizes Polka is just slightly embarrassed.

"N…no dear, I…I'm fine."

The kids excitedly turn back to their father and look up excitedly, begging for more.

"Okay, okay, where was I?"

"You were at the part where you fell very hard for her!" calls a voice.

Polka nearly collapses from that as Allegretto grunts and the children look to find a tall twenty year old man with short brown hair and bright, lively hazel-green eyes. He wears a green shirt and white pants, smiling happily.

"Uncle Beat!" Melody and Harmony cheer.

"Oh like you didn't fall for Salsa!"

"Sh…shut up Allegretto!"

"Daddy, who's Salsa?" asks Harmony.

"Isn't that a food?" inquires Melody.

"It was for Beat!" laughs Allegretto.

"Allegretto! There are children in this house!" cries Polka, red as fire still.

"Daddy, that makes no sense…" his children deadpan calmly.

"It doesn't need to, it will when you're older," he smiles at them.

"Allegretto, stop-p-p-p-p-p," pleas Beat.

"Beat, you are eighteen so why do you still sound like a child?"

"Oh so that explains the birthdays you forgot! And I am not eighteen, I'm twenty thank you!"

Polka winds up giggling as the children look between Beat and Allegretto, while Allegretto sighs.

"Oh stop it Beat, I still got you presents! Sometimes..."

"DADDY!"

"Picture frames. Every. Year."

"Better than nothing! Besides, they'll come in handy when you and Salsa do make a family!"

"Allegretto!"

"What did I do?"

"Children! There are children right in front of you!"

The children tilt their heads as Beat breaks into laughter and Allegretto rolls his eyes, huffing a bit.

"Oh come on, I didn't tell them _**how **_a family is made!"

"Daddy, where do babies come from?" asks Harmony.

Beat fell over laughing, rolling around as he clung to his stomach, knowing that if any of the others were here, they'd be laughing too. Polka's face is still extremely red as she shakes her head.

"You guys don't need to know," Polka tells them.

"Okay Mommy!"

Beat is still laughing and Allegretto sighs calmly, looking back at his kids.

"Okay, so now where was I? Hmm…well, I suppose next up, I should explain how I finally came to really know her. Or do you guys not want to know?" he teases them.

"No-o-o-o, tell us!" cries Harmony.

"I want to know-w-w-w!" protests Melody.

Polka laughs, delivering slices of warm banana break for everyone. Allegretto smiles, accepting the bread as she went back to the kitchen.

"Well, Beat and I ended up in Agogo Forest, where Polka and Frederic were recuperating after a battle or something. I recognized Polka immediately, but when I first spoke to her, she automatically ran away. It wasn't even five minutes later when we heard her scream…"

"Oh no!" cries Harmony.

"Ahh! Mommy!" Melody yelps.

"Don't worry, Daddy saved Mommy," laughs Polka, blushing heavily as she fixed the plates of breakfast.

"Ran right in front of her, holding his arm in front of her while faced with a giant monster!" cheers Beat.

"Hey! Who's telling this story? I thought for sure I was!" exclaims Allegretto.

With that, he picked up one of Beat's slices of bread and shoved it into the adult's mouth.

"Mrrmph!" yells Beat.

"Sounds like a real problem there Beat," Allegretto smirks.

Polka's laughter resonated through the kitchen now and Allegretto smiles at the magical sound of her laughter, looking down at his kids.

"I would have married no one else," he speaks to them, "I didn't care what it took. I leapt in front of that monster for her. I would have, had it come to it, taken that ailment upon myself. But…"

He smiles, lifting each child onto his lap and into a hug, "I wanted this, above all the other possibilities."

Beat grins happily, swallowing his bread and Polka finds some joyful tears in her eyes.

"Awwww!" squeals Melody.

"Daddy's a softie!" cheers Harmony.

Allegretto chuckles, holding his children close.

"And that, that is how I met your mother…"


	4. Tender Loving Chaos?

_**Haha, this chapter is a lot of fun! Also, SakuraRose13 is donating another character, who will play as an adopted daughter for Allegretto and Polka!  
**_

_**HamhaLove donated Melody, she's helped me ALOT so go check her out! The rest of this story is told in third person though.**_

_**I do not own Eternal Sonata, just Harmony and partially Melody! Thank you :) Enjoy and review!**_

* * *

**Growing Up With Allegretto as Your Dad**

**Chapter 3: Tender Loving Chaos?**

Naturally, Allegretto is still learning the ropes and Polka is merrily walking that path with him. Although Beat still lives with them, he spends more time out with Salsa. So it's usually just Polka, Allegretto, Melody, and Harmony in the house. It's just a couple weeks down the road as Allegretto wakes to find Polka still in bed. He's surprised, since she's usually either up or waking up when he wakes up, so he quickly shakes her slightly.

"Polka…?" he asks, "Polka!"

"Nnnn, A…Allegretto…." her voice calls weakly.

He runs his left hand softly over his wife's forehead in concern, feeling her soft skin nearly burn him as her blond hair damply lies over his hand. His silver wedding ring is face-up on his right as he lies that hand over her right hand, her own sliver band around her finger.

"Polka! Are you alright? It's not your original illness, is it?" he asks, a bit frantically.

"N…no…I'll be…okay…just…take care of the kids…I'm sorry," Polka whispers.

"Don't be sorry…of course I'll care for them…and you…" he tells her quietly, "Love you…"

"Love you," her eyes flutter slightly, showing her tired silvery blue orbs to him just briefly.

Softly, he kisses her burning forehead, cheek, and lips. She smiles at him gently before taking a shallow breath and practically melting into the bed. Getting out of bed, he pulls the light covers back over her body and changes clothes before exiting the room. Quickly, he opens the door to the room Melody and Harmony share, sleeping in a children's bunk-bed. Since she's older and more balanced, Melody sleeps on the top and Harmony sleeps on the bottom. The bedframe is wood, painted purple, pink sheets on top for Melody, and blue on the bottom for Harmony. The carpet is royal blue and the walls are violet with family photos, child artwork, and the boundless imagination of the children shown in washable marker…in other words, drawing on the walls is allowed with special marker. Two dressers stand side by side, one for each kid's clothes. The room is spacious despite the toys strewn about and whatnot. Two windows complete with blue curtains light the room, as it is in the corner of the house. Allegretto opens their door and softly rouses them from sleep. He shakes both kids;

"Melody, Harmony…time to get up, we need to get breakfast made and fix some for your mommy too. She's not feeling so well today," Allegretto speaks in his regular voice, the voice a bit shaky.

"Is Mommy okay?" Melody asks sleepily.

"I wanna see Mommy!" exclaims Harmony.

"Sheesh, what am I? Bathwater?" sighs Allegretto.

"No, you are Daddy!" Melody cheers, crawling onto the edge of the bunk and letting Allegretto pick her up.

"Thanks," he laughs a bit, setting her on the floor.

"Yeah, Daddy. But I want to see Mommy!"

"Mommy is extremely tired and not feeling well Harmony. That's why we have to make her breakfast and then you can see her, just can't be loud or anything," Allegretto smiles, petting Melody's silver hair and laying a hand on Harmony's blond.

"Okay Daddy," Harmony and Melody reply in unison.

He smiles, letting the kids change clothes before leading them into the kitchen. The kitchen is beautifully kept, done in pearly white with black music notes decorating the walls, tiled floor, counters, cabinets, and appliances.

"Okay, we need apple juice, toast, symphony butter, an omelet, and some strawberries for your mother," Allegretto announces, fetching a spreading knife, knife, plates, and a tray.

"Here's the apple juice!" cheers Harmony, pulling a bottle from on top of the counter.

"No, no, no, no, Harmony that is not apple juice! That's cleaning fluid!" yelps Allegretto and Melody in unison.

Allegretto carefully takes it from him and tucks it back in the cabinet before sighing.

"What, do you want shampoo for dessert?" he asks.

"Daddy!" Melody yelps.

"I was joking!"

Melody sighs at him as Harmony wanders off and Allegretto gets the eggs. Melody pulls out the frying pan and climbs up on a stepping stool for a glass. The silver haired man starts cooking the omlet while his daughter locates the real apple juice and, very carefully, pours four tall glasses of it. She smiles when the six year old discovers that she hasn't spilled a drop. Harmony, after climbing on a stepping stool too, comes back with a box of baking soda.

"Daddy, what's this?"

"Stuff that turns anyone that eats it into a frog, do you want to be a frog?" Allegretto inquires.

"YEAH!" cheers Harmony merrily.

"Frogs can't have apple juice," teases Allegretto

"No, no, no. Frogs live outside, you'll never see me, Mommy, or Daddy again!" yelps Melody.

"Choose carefully," laughs his father.

"Ahh, scary!"

Harmony tosses the box away and rushes to hide behind Allegretto. Sadly, the box slams the wall and completely explodes all over that side of the kitchen. Melody finds herself covered in the powder, with Allegretto and Harmony being the lucky ones since they were out of range.

"I don't want to be a frog!" cries Harmony.

Allegretto sighs, facepalming, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Daddy, how do you get white powder out of your hair, face, clothes, ears, and toes?"

Sighing, he picks up his daughter gently and pets some of the powder of her hair.

"With a bath, looks like you can use one," Allegretto sighs.

"What about Mommy?"

"No dear, Mommy doesn't need a bath right now."

"I meant, what are we doing for Mommy?"

"Oh…dare I say we continue making her breakfast?" Allegretto sighs.

Harmony sniffs the air, "Daddy, something smells…"

Whirling, Allegretto sets Melody down and pulls the frying pan of eggs from the burner. He frowns and sighs, holding his head. Lying in the pan is a pile of black, burnt eggs, and truly, Allegretto feels defeated.

"Of all things, I manage to burn eggs…" he sighs.

Setting the pan aside, Allegretto picks his kids both up and takes them back down the hall.

"Harmony, go see Mommy, but don't wake her. I have to run Melody a bath…"

"I can do it Daddy!"

He looks at her, "You sure?"

"Uh-huh!"

Allegretto sets her down and opens the door of the bathroom before leading Harmony back to the kitchen. Looking at his blond haired son, he smiles gently, crouching to meet his son's eyes.

"Now listen. One, cleaning fluid is not apple juice. Two, baking powder is not for throwing. Three, let's cook Mommy the best breakfast. Okay son?"

"Okay Daddy! Does Mommy need cleaning fluid?"

"No! No she doesn't," he sighs, "Cleaning fluid isn't edible."

"Oh. Sorry Daddy!"

Standing up, Allegretto scrapes the pan and lets the eggs fall in the garbage. He sets two slices of bread in the toaster. Harmony gets the tray, setting one of the glasses of apple juice on it before he drinks another one. Allegretto sighs in relief once things start going smoothly and takes the glass of juice that Harmony hands him, since Melody had poured them herself. Unfortunately, a crash broke his sense of security.

"Ah! Daddy! There's a monster in the bathroom!"

He sighs, "I knew it was too good to be true."

Darting down the hallway, he opens the door to the bathroom only to be hit in the head with a shampoo bottle.

"Ow!"

"Ah! Sorry Daddy, I was trying to hit the monster with it, he was crawling up the door!"

"Ngh," Allegretto grunts, rubbing his head before entering the room.

Closing the door, he finds nothing but perhaps the hugest house spider he's ever seen. Still, he just takes the bottle that wacked his head and knocks the spider off the door, letting it go find a crawl space.

"Daddy! Why'd you let it live?!"

"It's not dangerous Melody. Come on and finish your bath, before…"

Suddenly, the scent of burned eggs filled the air again and Allegretto lays his head in his palm with a defeated sigh.

"Agh! Not again!" yelps Allegretto.

Opening the door, he watches Harmony go running up the hall, crashing into the master bedroom's door, and opening it. His son disappears and Allegretto sighs as Melody bursts into happy laughter.

"Mommy! Daddy can't cook!"

"Hey! At least your digestive system is free from corrosive acid!"

He hears Polka moan painfully as he follows his son into the bedroom. Watching the little blonde he married turn over, he can tell that he somehow has to manage something….something somehow.

"Polka, just give me one more shot at it. Don't get out of that bed if you don't have to…"

"A…are you sure? I'm sure I can…"

He shakes his head, moving to sit on the bed by his wife and laying a hand on her back. Kissing her head, he smiles.

"Come on, you know I don't surrender so easily,"

She giggles, "This I know…okay, one more shot. You can do it…"

He nods, rising and ushering Harmony out the doorway.

"Melody, get out that tub and come help me. Harmony, I need you to get a cloth, put cold water on it, and put it on Mommy's forehead. Make sure to rewet it every now and again. Just stay by Mommy, okay?"

"Okay Daddy!"

He nods to his son as Melody runs to her room, changes, and follows her father back to the kitchen.

"Melody, get the broom and sweep that powder into pile of sorts, just like I showed you when your brother got into the flour, okay?"

"Daddy, are you sure you can cook by yourself?"

"Melody, for your mother, my wife, and this house's lifeline, I'd walk across burning coal. I can flip a few eggs," he laughs.

Melody smiles cheerily and laughs as she continues to help her father, soon producing an edible breakfast. Scrambled eggs complete with toast, apple juice, and strawberry jam for the toast. Arranging it all on a tray, her carefully carries it to Polka's room. Handing it to Melody, he gently rouses his wife as Harmony backs away.

"Dear, we all finally got a breakfast together," he whispers.

She smiles up at him, "I love you so much…" she speaks, her voice weak from the cold.

He smiles back and helps her sit up before laying the tray in her lap and kissing her cheek. Harmony and Melody aw in unison as she carefully starts eating her meal. Suddenly, she looks up at him.

"It's delicious! But wait…I don't understand…what was all this about corrosive acid?"


	5. New Addition

_**Hey everyone, welcome back! Merry Christmas to all as well, this is my Christmas present to those who love PolkaAllegretto and Eternal Sonata!**_

_**HamhaLove donated Melody, she's helped me ALOT so go check her out! **__**SakuraRose13's character has arrived in the form of the child in this chapter, named Anocora. She fully owns Anocora. Like HamhaLove, she's helped me a whole ton.  
**_

_**Also, please, please, PLEASE do not point out that half of Anocora's words do not exist. She makes up words and sometimes runs them together so this is ON PURPOSE. I know, mistakes on purpose, hard to believe huh?  
**_

_**Also, the small blip about how Polka and Allegretto are in battle and how their friends consider them is from MY perspective. I ended up putting a bit of my personal way in there about how I saw Polka and Allegretto during the game.  
**_

_**I do not own Eternal Sonata, just Harmony and partially Melody! Anocora is property of SakuraRose13 Thank you :) Enjoy and review!**_

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**Growing Up With Allegretto as Your Dad**

**Chapter 4: New Addition**

After a melodious recovery, the house is back to its regular…if you can call them regular…days. A nice day dawns in Baroque beautifully as Polka cooks breakfast and Allegretto sits on the couch with his children, one for each arm.

"So then Beat and Salsa threw a bunch of hats at each other while screaming until I got a headache, picked up Beat, and literally threw him at Salsa."  
"Did she catch him Daddy!?" Harmony and Melody squall in unison.

"Nope! He slammed right into her though and they both ended up on the floor together!"

"Wow! When do they kiss Daddy?" Melody asks, starry eyed.

He laughs and even Polka ends up laughing at this one, since both know that the kids are going to be shocked at the truth.

"Would you believe that they still haven't?" he inquires.

"They haven't!? This is an outrage!" yelps Harmony.

"You're telling me!" exclaims Allegretto, "Salsa got mad though and started throwing things so I had to pick up Mommy and hide. We suspect that may be where Harmony was-!"

"Allegretto!" cries Polka.

"What did I do?"

"Children! Once again, children!"

He sighs, "Sorry dear, I forget these things."

She smiles at him, "It's alright."

All of a sudden, the door flings open to reveal Beat, alongside Salsa and a kindred couple of faces Allegretto recalls.

"Ad! Lib! Well look at you guys, all grown; are you two well?" Allegretto asks, standing to great them.

Back when they lived in Ritardando, Beat and Allegretto always took care of several kids that lived in the sewers; including Ad and Lib. The two children now stood before him as grownups like himself and Beat. Lib stands tall now, her signature brown braids falling down her back while Ad has grown into a handsome young man. Salsa's fiery red hair had gotten longer as she had gotten taller and her lively eyes sparkled greatly, a pirate's hat still atop her head.

"We're fine Allegretto, it's good to see you! Awww, you're a father now!" cheers Lib.

Melody and Harmony stare blankly as Polka greets the two, already knowing all about it. She invites them to sit, which they do along with Salsa and Beat. The two couches are snowy white, with blue cushions to match the walls and floor.

"I bet he's a great father. He was always a father to all of us," Ad smiles.

"Of course he is," Polka laughs gently, sitting with him.

He chuckles, putting an arm around her while Melody laughs heavily from where she sits on the floor.

"He is! Except for the one time Harmony ended up with a diaper on his head while he was upside down and Daddy-!"

"Hey! We do not talk about that!" protests Allegretto as his wife bursts into laughter.

Ad and Lib break down into laughter too as he sighs in defeat. Polka shakes and Melody flops over as they cling to their stomachs.

"Wait, what?" asks Harmony blankly.

"Pfft!" Salsa cracks up and soon even Beat can't hold back.

"Alright, alright! Everyone stop; let's skip to the end where everyone quits picking on Allegretto," sighs Allegretto, chuckling slightly.

"But picking on you is fun," complains Beat.

"Beat!"

Allegretto huffs as Polka hugs him as everyone calms down and he gently holds her close.

"Love you Daddy!" chirps Melody.

"I don't get what happened, but I love you too Daddy!" Harmony cheers.

"Thanks you two."

"Ad! Lib! Tell Allegretto what you told me!" Beat calls.

"Oh right," Lib murmurs.

"Hm? What is it?" Allegretto asks.

"Well, there's a new orphan and she's…very rambunctious. She keeps going after this enormous monster in the forest and I'm so scared that she's going to get hurt," Ad states.

"We were hoping…you could help her," Lib sighs quietly.

Allegretto nods, standing up and holding her hand out for Polka. She takes it, standing up too and nodding firmly.

"We both will," they respond, right up in unison.

Beat and Salsa light up as the redhead squeals and flails. Ad and Lib smile greatly, happy that they'll undertake it together. Melody and Harmony cheer too as Allegretto chuckles, holding Polka again.

"Oh, that monster is going to go home crying! The unbeatable pair is back!" squeals Salsa.

"It's dead meat for sure!" laughs Beat.

"Thank you guys," Ad smiles.

"Hopefully she'll listen," Lib replies.

Polka looks at her children, "You two stay with Beat and Salsa, alright? This is too dangerous."

"She's right you two. We'll be back soon," Allegretto states, getting his sword and passing Polka her umbrella.

"Okay Daddy!" the two call.

After Ad and Lib, the spouses exit their home for the travel to Ritardando. Beat and Salsa remain home with the two children, all already anticipating the return. Taking the boat, they soon arrive to the port town of Ritardando, the hometown of Beat and Allegretto.

* * *

Now that they were finally at Ritardando, the two set off into the more forested area around the coastal city to search around. Side by side and very much alert the pair walks, hand in hand as well. They can only hope that they aren't too late for the girl.

"I hope that girl is okay," Polka whispers.

"Same here," Allegretto responds.

She giggles for a moment, "This brings back memories, sort of, doesn't it?"

He laughs too, "It does! Not only is this the city where I first even saw you, but it brings back the days of fighting alongside each other, huh?"

"You better believe it," she chuckles.

Although they were never officially called it in any way, their friends had always called Allegretto and Polka the 'Unbeatable Pair.' Everyone always fought extremely well and no one could be stopped when they all had Harmony Chains going. However, there was always something about the two when they fought together, combos and all. It always gave the party security, that great feeling that as long as those two were fighting, they could never lose a single battle. Even through the Mysterious Unison, in their fights to get Claves' soul back, the group knew they could never lose with the pair on their side. In the eyes of everyone that fought alongside them-Salsa, March, Beat, Viola, Jazz, Falsetto, Claves, Frederic-Polka and Allegretto were definitely the 'Unbeatable Pair' in many different ways, not even just in the way they fought in battle.

"Hyaaaaa! Yupperdoodles, you're going down captain ugly!"

Polka startles at the sound of a ferocious roar that follows straight after the female's battle cry.

"I think we found the girl," Allegretto notes.

"Yeah, me too. We need to hurry, if this thing is as big as they made it sound, she's in danger!" replies Polka.

He nods, taking her hand and rushing in the direction from which the sound came from, rapidly reading a large clearing in the trees. They are just in time to watch a young girl with reddish ginger hair go flying into a tree trunk, a weapon of sorts flying from her hand. Allegretto stands in front of Polka protectively, despite knowing that she can handle herself; it's just his reflex and Polka knows that. The girl hops back up, wounded already but fierce. Her red hair is uneven and short, not well cropped at all and rather out of place. In the sunlight that comes down into the clearing, her silvery eyes glint as she rushes at the enemy, despite being unarmed. The pair looks at the monster, an enormous monstrosity of multiple shades of green. It almost looks like a lion, but much larger and with enormous horns on its head. Covered in leaves, dirt, multiple shades of green, and a terrifying glare in its red eyes, it rushes at the girl and gives her a devastating slam into the midsection, crashing her right into the tree again.

"Leave her alone!" shouts Polka.

"Get back!" Allegretto yells, running between the girl and the monster

"Urk…no, getoutta my fight!" she cries, her speech really fast as she stands up.

"What are you-!"

Allegretto sighs, facepalming as the girl runs again, only to be dodged. She reaches the back legs, where the monster kicks her right up into the air. Shaking its head, she's slammed with a horn and sent flying right into Polka.

"Ahhhh!" screams the girl.

"Whoa!" yelps Polka, falling back from the impact as the girl slips unconscious.

"Geez, this girl is nuts," mutters Allegretto.

Polka rests the girl by a tree and immediately rushes into the fight with Allegretto, both lifting their weapons and fighting back fiercely.

"Ready dear?"

"You bet I am!"

Immediately, they swing into action together, falling into a steady rhythm of attacks and Melody Chains back and forth. Every once in a while, Polka casts Blossom Shower to heal her, Allegretto, and the unconscious child; making sure that they will all make it home.

"Starlight Blast!"

"Roundel!"

"Sky Divider!"

"Shooting Star!"

Colors explode as the enemy howls in fury and pain while the pair falls to normal attacks, Polka using Blossom Shower again. Shade falls over the clearing as clouds gather and all of a sudden, the monster rams into Polka, slamming the young woman far across the clearing.

"Ahhh!" she cries, her back hitting the tree first.

"You…bastard!" shouts Allegretto, "Bloody Plume!"

"Ughh…"

Polka struggles to her feet carefully, wearily of herself as the shade lifted and Allegretto went back to Starlight Blast.

"Blossom Shower!" she calls again, running back and slashing at the monster.

Allegretto smiles at her as they start the Harmony Chains up all over again, fighting side by side.

"Watch the light of the countless stars in the night sky! Starlight Blast!"

"This has to be it! Shooting Star!"

"Sky Divider!"

"Roundel!"

The shade comes over again as they pummel the monster with regular attacks before going back to their original specials again.

"Bloody Plume!"

"Terra Externa!"

"Phantom Wave!"

"Disruption Wave!"

Soon enough, the monster screams defeat and crashes into the ground as Polka casts another Blossom Shower. After the defeat, Allegretto sheathes his sword and runs with Polka to the small girl's side. Quickly, Polka clasps her hands, summoning the aide of Orange Glow spells and Blossom Shower again.

"We need to take her back home. Not only do we need to be back with Melody and Harmony but it's getting late and we can't leave her here," Allegretto states.

"Indeed," Polka states, finishing all the healing she can do for now.

Allegretto lifts the young child, looking to be around the age of seven as he carries her, holding his wife's hand at the same time as they head back to the port and sail back to Baroque.

"Hopefully she doesn't get scared when she wakes up," Polka sighs.

Walking up to their house, the girl suddenly stirs in Allegretto's arms.

"Who the snapperdiddles are you!?" screams the girl.

"Whoa!" cries Allegretto.

The girl twists, kicking Allegretto's shoulder and throwing herself out of his grasp, backing away from the two immediately as she glares at them and then the city around her.

"Ow! And what the heck is a snapperdiddle?" inquires Allegretto, holding his shoulder.

"We're not going to hurt you," whispers Polka, using an Orange Glow on Allegretto.

The girl's eyes narrow, "Who're you two? Where am I?"

Her speech pattern is fast and filled with made up or slammed-together words.

"My name is Polka, this is my husband Allegretto," Polka answers.

Allegretto grunts, "If I'm not mistaken, we're the two that just saved you from becoming monster food."

"I can handle myself featherman!" she shouts, turning and running away.

"Hey wait!" he shouts after her.

Sighing, Allegretto goes running after her and finally catches her when she trips, falling. Carefully, he picks her up in the sight of all of the townspeople and starts carrying her back even as she struggles. Since most of the people are familiar with him and Polka, they figure they're helping the unfamiliar girl despite her stubbornness. Especially since they've developed that reputation after Polka was understood to not be dangerous and they're always seen with Melody and Harmony.

"Calm down, please."

"Lemme go, you yapperball!"

"Sheesh, we're trying to help you. Now. Stop. It. Please," sighs Allegretto.

She grumbles as Polka catches up and continues to struggle as they get the girl home. Unfortunately, Allegretto gets home with a few more bruises and slap marks than he would have liked. The moment they make it home, Beat and Salsa watch her finally cause Allegretto to drop her by biting him in the hand.

"Yow!" yelps Allegretto.

"Stop hurting him!" protests Polka.

"Yo kid, knock it off! Or I'll come down on you like a mountain range!" yells Salsa.

"Salsa, calm down," Beat sighs.

"Daddy!" cheer Harmony and Melody, running to hug their father.

He sighs tiredly, gathering his children and plopping on the couch. Beat looks at his best friend worriedly as the girl sits up and Salsa eyes her before looking at the others.

"Meatbrains! Why are you guys kidnapping me!?" she cries.

"We're not! We're trying to help you, since you almost died!" exclaims Allegretto, holding his head.

"Don't hurt our Daddy and Mommy!" cries Melody, wrapping her arms around him.

"Yeah!" adds Harmony.

She scoffs in annoyance, sitting crosslegged, pouting, and wrapping her arms around herself as Polka uses even more magic to heal Allegretto's injuries. He holds her too, along with his kids, concerned that she might or may have already exhausted herself. As he suspected, Polka sighs tiredly at the completion of his healing and leans on his shoulder.

"What's your name?" Allegretto asks her.

"Who, me?" responds the girl.

Allegretto rolls his eyes, "No, the monkey outside. Yes, you."

"Anocora. Sarcasticalness wasn't needed."

"Wasn't like all these bruises and slaps along with a bite of all things were needed either," huffs Allegretto.

"Psh, snapperfiddles," grunts Anocora, looking away.

Polka sighs, rising from the couch and kneeling down before her.

"Please calm down. We just want to help you, we know you're orphaned," the blond speaks.

"Oh shutup! Leavemealone! Sheeshdiddles, you guys are irritating," she grumbles, rising.

Polka backs away and helplessly watches the girl run out the door. She sighs painfully, looking up at Allegretto. He sighs, standing back up before looking back to Beat and Salsa.

"You two can head home, Polka will stay with the kids this time."

They nod as he darts out the door in search of Anocora. Polka sits down with her children, holding them close and telling them a few stories herself.

"Anocora!"

"Go away you…you…you noodlehead!"

He huffs in annoyance, chasing her all around town until she finally loses him. He stops outside the inn, gasping in exhaustion as he slumps against the wall. Hot, pained tears of frustration go down his cheeks, knowing how desperately Polka wants to help and maybe adopt this child. Even he wants to, deep in the depths of his heart, but they can't do anything for her at this rate if she continues this.

"Allegretto?"

He looks up, only to find Jazz and Viola standing over him, looking at with concern.

"Oh hey you guys."

"What's wrong?" Jazz inquires.

"Yeah, you should be home with Polka," Viola states, looking at him with her blond hair in the usual buns.

"Well, Polka and I are trying to help this girl we saved…another orphan in Ritardando. But…she keeps running away and Polka sent me to find her again. I seem to have lost her again though," Allegretto sighs, standing back up.

"Could it be the girl we heard about?" Jazz looks at Viola.

"Oh! That's right! Allegretto, come with us. We heard something about a strange girl sitting by the palace stairs, so we were about to check it out," Viola explains.

"Okay. Hopefully she doesn't bite me again…" he murmurs.

Following them, they all soon find Anocora snoozing by the stairs. Allegretto chuckles, figuring she wore out as he picks her up.

"Thanks," he tells them.

"Of course. Hey, we'll have to all get together again. King Crescendo and Queen Serenade are holding another ball soon, so we should all go," Jazz states.

"Count us in," Allegretto nods.

They wave goodbye as Allegretto carries the new child home, this time without her managing to wake up. Laying her in a chair, he huffs in annoyance.

"Almost lost her, but then Jazz and Viola helped me find her. She's a rambunctious one, Ad and Lib didn't joke," he grunts.

It's when there's no reply that Allegretto realizes Polka, Melody, and Harmony have all fallen asleep on the couch. Smiling slightly, he lifts Melody and kisses the child's forehead, carrying the girl to her bed. He repeats this with Harmony, before performing the process with Polka, only he kisses her on the lips instead. Walking back to the living room, he sets up the couch's foldable bed before making it a bed for Anocora. Going to the kitchen, he makes her a small bowl of leftover pasta and a slice of buttered toast before setting it on a tray. Letting it cool, he places her in the bed, tucking her in. Setting up a table, he lays the food there before triple locking the door, ensuring that Anocora has no way to runaway into the night no matter how badly she wants to. At first, he almost leaves it this way, but then he decides that she'll probably find a way no matter what. Giving up, he unlocks everything again, giving her every chance to escape instead. Maybe if they show trust in her, maybe she'll trust them, but he somehow doubts it. Deciding this to be all he can do, Allegretto goes to the master room and lies down beside his wife for the evening.

"D…did you find her?" Polka whispers sleepily.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I laid out the couch bed for her and made her a small something for when she wakes up," Allegretto replies quietly.

"She'll probably run again," she whispers, frowning, "-am I that scary Allegretto?"

"You aren't scary at all. Don't take her actions personally…she seems to have a hard time trusting others. Never call yourself scary; you have a heart of gold," he sighs, pulling her close.

She melts into his arms, starting to cry, "I just wish she would trust us…"

He kisses her head, running his fingers through her blond hair, "Trust is earned, we just have to keep trying Polka. It took me a little bit to get you to trust me, now didn't it?"

She smiles a bit, snuggling to his chest, "You're right. We'll just have to keep trying."

"Exactly."

"Allegretto…if we ever get her to trust us…do you want to adopt her?"

"I wouldn't mind, if that's what you want."

"It is…she deserves a home…I want to protect her too…"

"Same here. We'll adopt her Polka, I know we will."

The next morning, Polka rises before Allegretto and steps out into the living room, where she sees Anocora heading towards the door. She sees the tray has been untouched and doesn't understand why the girl wouldn't eat.

"Leaving again? What about the meal my husband laid out for you?"

She whirls, narrowing her eyes at Polka. The blond doesn't let up, merely staring back with her sky blue, her white night gown around her body as a small pink blanket holds around her too.

"Why should I trust youguys? For all I know about you snipdips, it could be stuff to make me sleepabye again!"

Polka shakes her head, "We would never do that. I'm sure of that enough to the point that I'd eat that pasta myself."

"Why'd you even scrambledoodle just to save me? There wasn't even a real point to it."

Polka clenches her fists and looks down, her body starting to shake. It's true that Polka has a very kindred demeanor, but she can't keep this inside anymore.

"Maybe…just maybe…since you can't get this, maybe we care! Maybe we really want to help you! Maybe we didn't want to see you get killed! Maybe we can't just walk away!" Polka screams, finally having had enough.

Anocora's eyes fly wide, her uneven hair framing her face. Polka shakes her head rapid, her hair freely flowing down her back, tears in her eyes.

"Allegretto and I…would never, ever do anything to harm you. We're talking about adopting you, giving you a place to call home! All I have ever wanted in my life is to protect those I care for! My friends, Allegretto, and my children! I have children, why would I ever harm another child!? They are his children, gifts to me from a man I cherish more than my own life; a man I would gladly die for! I live every single day making sure that every passing day is special. Not everyone is your enemy Anocora; most definitely not a soul in this house is your enemy!"

Allegretto comes down the hall partially; surprised to hear Polka yelling so much since she rarely, if ever, does. He's shocked to see his wife standing before a finally crying Anocora. He smiles, realizing his wife has broken through, so he leans on the wall and finds out what's next.

"B…but…I…I…oh snapoodles, I hate crying…"

"If you want to leave so badly…if you really think anyone in my family is ever going to hurt you…then you can just leave. I won't chase you, I won't send Allegretto. I'll simply leave a space in my heart, wishing I could have given you a home. But I won't force you, this is my final try. I don't want someone here that thinks negative of anyone in our household," Polka's voice shakes.

Anocora bites her lip and shakes her head rapidly, running to Polka and wrapping her arms around the blond woman.

"N…no…I…I'll stay…yupperdoodles, I'll…stay. And I…I think nothing negative of your household…I don't…"

Polka gives a shaken sigh, kneeling down and embracing the child before her into a tight hug. Allegretto smiles, sliding down the rest of the hall to embrace his wife and his new daughter, the two girls already embraced as they kneel on the floor.

"Welcome to our home…Anocora…"


	6. Snowy Shopping and Kisses

_**HamhaLove donated Melody, she's helped me ALOT so go check her out! **__**SakuraRose13's character has arrived in the form of the child in this chapter, named Anocora. She fully owns Anocora. Like HamhaLove, she's helped me a whole ton.  
**_

_**Also, please, please, PLEASE do not point out that half of Anocora's words do not exist. She makes up words and sometimes runs them together so this is ON PURPOSE. I know, mistakes on purpose, hard to believe huh?  
**_

_**I do not own Eternal Sonata, just Harmony and partially Melody! Anocora is property of SakuraRose13 Thank you :) Enjoy and review!**_

* * *

**Growing Up With Allegretto as Your Dad**

**Chapter 5: Snowy Shopping and Kisses**

In the winter of the next year, when Harmony is five, Melody is seven, and Anocora is eight, the children gleefully await the come of the year's first snow. They don't have to wait long until one morning, where Polka wakes to find the ground buried in several inches of the beautiful fluff, sparkling as it glitters in the sun's bright light. She smiles a bit, thinking of some of her old imaginations from when she was only a child. Looking over at her husband, still sleeping peacefully, she gently smiles softly before putting on a red housecoat over her white nightgown and padding out into the hallway, to the room where all three kids sleep. Melody and Harmony still share a bunk bed, but Anocora now has a single bed to herself and a dresser. Her adoptive parents also purchased her a new silver dagger for fighting if she would ever have too.

Melody owns her own weapon now too, a beautiful silver katana with a white handle. A pink ribbon is bound around the handle, with beads and a small charm holding a picture of Polka, Allegretto, Harmony, Anocora, and herself. Back when she had first asked Allegretto for it and requested for him to teach her, he asked her reasoning behind the choice.

"It's what you use Daddy! I want my family at my side in every way I can; I want to remember my best reason for moving forward even when I get old!"

Allegretto simply smiled and agreed, Polka grinning proudly in the background at the time. Anocora had laughed;

"Sis, you're so cheesyweezy!"

Melody simply gave a loving glare at her adopted sister, "So be it! Cheese is yummy!"

Giving the children their own weapons to defend themselves had come in handy too…

_Earlier in the Year…_

_ Walking together, the entire family is out in the forest for a picnic together when they get ambushed by a large group of monsters. Of course, Anocora rushes in with her dagger, while Polka stays with Harmony. Allegretto and Melody go right behind Anocora, attacking as best as they can. Unfortunately, Allegretto and Anocora both get knocked back before Melody takes a terrible hit to her torso as her mother heals the others. Standing once more though, Melody lifts her katana with pride as her father and adoptive sister rise again. Allegretto and Anocora smile at her and she grins back;_

_**"**__**With the blade in the night comes the wings of death!" shouts Allegretto.**_

_** "My blood is red, but yours is blue and when I'm done, it'll all be shed!" cries Anocora**_

_**"Blade, just tell me right. Remind me why I will always fight!" exclaims Melody.**_

_** "This has to be it!" yells Polka.**_

_Needless to say, between the family members, the battle is naturally won._

Entering the room, Polka smiles at how much her family is growing happily. She feels a great emotion of joy and achievement. Softly, she shakes each child's shoulder, setting out their different clothes as Allegretto enters the room, yawning happily.

"Morning everyone," he yawns, smiling.

Before anything more can even bother to happen, Harmony leaps from his bed and goes running down the hall…without pants. Immediately, Anocora dashes after him, wiggling her fingers and screaming gleefully as her uneven red hair floats behind her, falling short above her shoulders. Her eyes sparkle as Harmony laughs explosively with great entertainment.

"I am the ticklemonster!"

"Wheeeee!"

A tired Beat enters the room as Allegretto and Melody watch the doorway, Polka standing behind them as she chokes on severe laughter. Beat smirks, his brown hair slightly in his eyes as he looks at his older, silver haired best friend and his friend's blond wife.

"Wow Allegretto, looks like your parenting skills are so great."

"Says the man with a child on the way that won't take lessons," grumbles Allegretto.

"Actually Daddy, it's twins, not just a child!" calls Anocora.

"Wha-!? How did you even know she's…you know!" yelps Beat in shock, blushing.

"Pregnant you mean? Because! I am the ticklemonsteress!" she cheers in rambunctious joy.

Polka falls to her knees, wrapping her arms around her stomach and laughing extremely hard now. Allegretto simply looks down at his wife before sighing and looking at Beat, merely wondering how his adopted daughter knows these things.

"Did you have fun with Salsa, hmmm Beat?" laughs Anocora.

Allegretto buries his face in his hands as Beat's face turns blood red and Polka completely falls over, her small body shaking with laughter. Melody watches the doorway, listening to her brother's shrieks of laughter as Anocora screams about tickle monsters.

"Dad, have they lost it?"

"Possibly…"

"I will tickle you to death!"

"Harmony," Allegretto pleads, "-please come get your pants."

"I object to pants!"

"Pants are the law Harmony!" cries Anocora.

"Then where are yours Anocora?"

"Whyyou! Iwill tickleyou tillyoucry!"

Beat looks to Allegretto, "They are your kids."

"Shut it Beat."

Polka finally recovers herself and stands back up, gently hugging Allegretto. Sighing softly, the young man hugs her gently and Beat grins happily at them, their love warming his heart greatly. Harmony charges into the room as Anocora leaps right onto his back, slamming them both into the floor harshly before she tickles him rapidly.

"The ticklemonsteress has caughtyou! Hahaa!" she cheers.

"Wahhh!" Harmony squawks, laughing painfully as he flails under the eight year old.

Polka chuckles quietly, lifting Anocora off of Harmony and handing her clothes. She then lifts her young son, dressing him carefully before sending him out of the room. Melody finishes changing, running after her brother and adoptive sister. Allegretto smiles, taking his wife's hand with care before they follow their children into the living room calmly for breakfast. He sits down on a couch, where Melody and Harmony climb up onto the couch with him whilst Anocora sits away, her hair crooked as usual.

"Daddy, why is Anocora taller than me?"

"Well Harmony, she is older than you," Allegretto chuckles.

"Yeah, I'm older than you! So haha!" Anocora laughs.

"But she's older than me and I'm about her height…" Melody tilts her head.

"Yeah, but you guys are barely a year apart. Anocora has three years over Harmony," Allegretto explains.

"That's so unfair!" protests the young son.

"Hahahahaha!" laughs the adoptive sister.

Melody shrugs again as Harmony leaps off of Allegretto, tackling Anocora to the ground playfully.

"Oh you askedforit!"

Anocora rolls him off her, tickling him again as the doorbell rings. Allegretto sighs as Melody goes to answer it, Harmony crying mercy as he tries to crawl away only for Anocora to consistently remain on him, tickling him. Polka looks over as Melody reveals a very fancy looking messenger at the door, looking down at the squalling kids in surprise.

"Ah, don't mind them…" Allegretto murmurs.

"Yeah, kids will be…kids," Polka chuckles.

"I…see…is this the residence of Allegretto, Polka, Beat, and family?" inquires the messenger.

Harmony and Anocora finally sit up at attention as Melody looks up kindly at the young messenger. She smiles welcomingly, quieter than the other two as Allegretto nods to the messenger.

"That's us. I'm Allegretto, Polka is the lady in the kitchen, Beat is in his bedroom, and all three of these here are my children. What's going on?"

Beat wanders into the room, as if on cue as the messenger nods affirming, unrolling a scroll.

"Allegretto, Polka, and Beat, you are hereby invited to attend King Crescendo and Queen Serenade's Ballroom and Dance Extravaganza this weekday of the next week. The children are very welcome to come too. Dress formally but with comfort in mind since it will be a long evening. The King and Queen are looking forward to catching up with you three. Your friends Salsa, March, Jazz, Falsetto, Claves, Frederic, and Viola have already been invited and confirmed. Will you all be in attendance too?"

"Sounds stupid…" mutters Anocora.

"Anocora! Don't say that!" sighs Allegretto, facepalming.

"Oh Anocora," murmurs Polka, "-Yes sir, we will all be in attendance. I'll make sure Anocora is on her best behavior too. Put down six; Allegretto, Melody, Anocora, Harmony, Beat, and myself."

The messenger writes this down, "You are Polka, correct?"

"Yes sir. We'll be there next week," Polka nods.

Anocora pouts a bit as Harmony cheers and Melody smiles happily, running to hug her father merrily. Soon enough, the messenger leaves the house and Anocora says exactly what she thinks about this.

"This sounds completely stupidanduseless!" she protests.

"Oh come on Anocora, stop that. Bad enough you did it in front of the messenger. These events are actually really fun. Plus a lot of old friends of Polka, Beat, and I are going to be there," Allegretto sighs.

"We'll have to go shopping for clothes," Polka speaks up, "-Anocora has no dresses, plus mine and Melody's were lost when Harmony had that phase with scissors and glue when he was three…"

There's a long hanging silence until Allegretto ends up laughing, Harmony tilts his head blankly, Melody finds confusion, and Anocora finally breaks up laughing.

"I don't want toevenknow!" she laughs.

"I'm confused…" Harmony murmurs.

"Ohhh…I remember that…" Melody whispers finally.

"Well, shopping sounds like a good idea. Harmony, Beat, and I need to get something nice too," Allegretto finally speaks.

Polka nods, serving breakfast for the group; sausage biscuits with scrambled eggs. After everyone eats, they all exit the house and start the walk for the clothing store. Entering the large store, the children immediately gasp at all of the racks of clothing, loaded with all the clothing you could ever think of. Polka, Beat, and Allegretto merely chuckle at the kids' reaction as Polka takes Melody and Harmony to the lady's side.

"Allegretto, do we really have to get suits?" Beat whines.

"Stop complaining or I'll make you go look at lady's clothes, then buy you a suit that's too small," Allegretto sighs.

"Alright, alright I'm sorry."

Anocora walks behind her mother with her arms crossed as she grumbles to herself. Polka keeps a hand on her shoulder as Melody keeps looking around without a single inch of an idea as to where to look. They pass through multiple sections along the way until Polka finally gets them to the main dress section, with an array of dress-filled racks.

"Well…all I can tell you girls is to just start looking through gowns until you find a good one," Polka states.

"Ugh, justgreat. Shopping is for wussies…" murmurs Anocora.

Without a word, Melody goes to a rack and starts looking through the racks. Anocora merely looks around; despite her actions and words, the dear girl is actually excited about this, but she sure refuses to show that. Polka starts going through a rack quietly, finally finding herself a beautiful number that she felt sure Allegretto would like on her too. She smiles gently, closing her eyes as she lays the dress over her arm before reopening her eyes. Looking around, she sees Anocora passively looking through other racks and realizes she's going to have to step up the search.

"Mommy, mommy, look at this one!" cries Melody, flailing excitedly.

Anocora looks up as Polka heads towards Melody and spots the dress that's over Polka's arm. Melody see's it too and gets even more excited despite calming her flailing arms, causing Polka to laugh kindly.

"Wait no, you have to try your dress on for us first," she squalls.

"But I want to see yours," laughs Polka.

Anocora rushes up excitedly, "No, show us yours! It'spretty!"

Polka looks to her, "I thought you weren't excited about this, Anocora?"

"Well…I…I'mnotbut…"

Polka giggles, shaking her head before heading to the left into a changing room. Melody pulls her dress close to her, practically jumping up and down with excitement. Anocora ends up doing the same thing, earning the two children looks every now and again. Their mother finally emerges and the children gasp; the dress accentuates her grown figure whist keeping her tiny as she is. Short sleeved, the collar of the dress is conservative and sweeps from either side to the other with lace bordering. The sleeves flow around, sparkling softly in different lights while the top hugs Polka before the skirt flows out and down, the skirt layered and delicate like the wearer herself. A ribbon with small, snow-like crystals is bound around the waist, tied in a lovely, permanent, and perfect bow. The entire dress is a beautiful, soft, and amazing fabric, colored solely in white; the innocence at heart, no matter what.

"Oh…Mom…" gasps Melody.

"It'ssoprettyandsnowy!" squeals Anocora.

The small girl rushes to a small section and comes back with a beautiful silver, fur shawl, putting this over Polka's shoulders, allowing the blond woman to take hold of its front and tie the small ribbons. The shawl is long, flowing down below Polka's waist and making the look perfect.

"Perfect! And inexpensive!" cry Anocora and Melody.

The two children look at each other and immediately high five before hugging Polka with glee.

"Okay, okay kids. Come on Melody, let's try yours and I'll change back to my other clothes. I'll help you look then, okay Anocora?"

"Yeah, okay," Anocora responds.

The young girl looks around until Melody bounces out in a pink and silver dress, whose sleeves are wide and purposely designed to be longer than the arm by just a bit so they extend slightly beyond her fingertips. Anocora flails, watching her sister twirl and the dress flow out softly with a skirt of silver silk with pink hearts sewn in thread; the top also silver, with pink lace at the collar and a small pink belt on the waist. The collar is nearly a turtle on this one though, fully encircling the neck and clothing the shoulders. Once again, Anocora runs off and brings back a shiny, silver locket with large heart as the charm, immediately placing this around her little adoptive sister's neck.

"Pretty!" squeals Melody.

"Yahoo, Iam awesome atthis stupidstuff!"

"Yes you are!"

"Iknow Iam!"

Polka laughs gently as she comes back out only to see this scene. Softly, she sends Melody to change back before looking around calmly, beginning to pull out different dresses one by one to show Anocora only to get a rejection each time from each dress. Still, Polka persists with this, even though she continuously hears Anocora saying no in several ways;

"Nope."

"Nodoodles."

"Noway."

"Oh hellno."

"Eghhh that'stoopink."

"Ahh, attackoftheribbons!"

"Noooo, tooweird."

"Too boring."

"Too complicated."

"Whatisthat?"

Finally, Polka pulls out a beautiful, slightly Victorian dress and Anocora finally flails, her eyes going wide. The dress is red with short, narrow, slightly puffy sleeves and a sweeping collar. The edges of the sleeves and the collar are all of black lace, as is the end of the top before the flowing skirt. The skirt is layers of ruffles, with a fabric over the first layer that sort of coats it on the sides, leaving the ruffles visible. Mainly colored in red, with a latticed ribbon in the back of it as well and still perfect for the average eight year old, it's clear that it's finally the dress they had been looking for.

"Wantwantwant! It'ssopretty!"

Polka finally sighs in relief, giving it to her to try on before Melody comes running out.

"Melody, be a dear and find something nice to go with Anocora's dress, okay?" Polka requests of her daughter.

"Okay Mommy."

Melody runs off and returns with a pretty, large, red, hair barrette made of strong metal in a beautifully intricate pattern. Anocora comes out as Polka looks at the barrette and smiles.

"Perfect, we can even Anocora's hair out with a simple style using this. Come here Anocora, dear, let me see this in your hair," she speaks calmly.

Anocora comes to her and with gentle care; Polka pulls the hair back into an evening style, the half ponytail. Despite the shortness of the hair, it works perfectly as the young mother snaps the barrette closed and turns Anocora a mirror, making the small girl squeal inwardly despite her indifferent answer of;

"ThanksMom!"

Melody squeals and Polka laughs, removing the barrette before sending Anocora to change her clothes again. Softly, the mother and her daughter high five as they await Anocora's return, proud of their achievements.

Meanwhile…in the Men's formal section…

"Beat, you look ridiculous!"

"You're the one that said we had to do this!"

"It doesn't mean you get to try on every stupid thing you get your hands on!"

"You look ridiculous too!"

"You idiot, I'm still in the clothes I came in!"

"Well at least I'm in a suit!"

"Yeah, a suit with a design that makes the Herculean Boar look good! Nice going cameraman."

Beat grumbles and goes to change, while Allegretto sighs in the hopes that Polka is having better luck than he is. Harmony looks up at his dad as Allegretto continues searching for a child's suit, as well as one for himself. Knowing his wife, she's going to get something lightly colored for herself, so Allegretto probably needs a white colored suit.

Finally, he locates the child suits and finds a nice, white one for Harmony. Unfortunately, to Allegretto's chagrin, changing him in the changing room led to a repeat of this morning's 'I object to pants' protests. The father finds himself thankful that the child didn't escape and go running without pants throughout the entire store; much less go find Anocora and create a larger catastrophe.  
"There, you look great."

"I look like a marshmallow…"

"No you don't," sighs Allegretto as he changes Harmony's clothes again.

Carefully, holding his son's hand, the young man continued his search, only to find Beat appear before him in an awful green suit. Once more, Allegretto facepalms and grabs a dashing black suit, handing it to his younger friend.

"Beat, for the sake of everyone, please just wear this one."

"Okay!"

Finally, the family makes it back home with everything they need in tow. As the others enter their home, Anocora stays outside and watches snowflakes fall overtop the existing flakes of snow. Her small dress presses against her in the cold winds, the snow brushing her cheeks and kissing her cheeks. The icy flakes cling to her eyelashes as she closes her eyes, sighing a bit in some form of a lost feeling. She feels out of place, like she doesn't belong here. While most warm at the thoughts and feelings of being with family; with mothers and fathers to kiss them goodnight as well as siblings to play with in the falling snow, these thoughts merely gave Anocora a deep cold in her heart. It's hollow and painful, as her heart chokes her with the memories of her former home in the Ritardando sewers…hungry and freezing…and always alone since she never went around the other kids.

She shudders and rubs her arms, trying to retrieve the warmth of the home she has behind her…with her family. The tears sting her eyes, like ice being thrown into them. What was this 'family' she had? They'll abandon her someday, whenever they tire of how she dresses, acts, and everything. Whenever they finally saw her…for herself and herself only. Self-consciously, she tugs at the uneven strands of her hair and half-heartedly tries to flatten the wrinkles of her dress. The bitter cold swallows her and she shivers, feeling so cold…as if the ice merely wanted to make her into an ice sculpture…something fragile that would melt away in the warmer days and be forgotten.

Suddenly, in the midst of her cold pain, she feels a warmth envelop her from behind and realizes that Allegretto has come out, hugging her into his warmth. He already knows, from watching her here in the cold from the house's door, how she had just been feeling.

"You little dummy, you shouldn't stand here out in the cold all by yourself ."

She melts to him a bit and sighs, "You're so warm…Dad…"

He smiles and pats her hair as Polka comes outside with the children, all of them darting around in the snow.

"Haha! Anocora, you can't catch me!" shouts Harmony.

"Ohyou! Don't you test me!" calls Anocora, darting after him.

Polka laughs as Melody goes running to make a snowman. Slowly, the blond approaches her husband as he chuckles at the children. Calmly, she hugs him and watches the snow fall as he hugs her close to him, laying his head atop hers. Watching the children, Polka's eyes mist and she sighs happily.

"When I was just a tiny child…I remember that I always imagined going on adventures with a handsome prince…" she smiles lightly, her breath fog in the beautiful air.

"Oh really?" Allegretto asks, looking into her blue eyes.

"Mmhm. And I remember…always thinking of how nice it would be…to be kissed in the snow…"

He smiles and hugs her close, pink dusting both of their cheeks. Softly, he lifts her chin and gently kisses her in the falling snow, letting the young woman melt to him. The moment lasts for such a short time…and yet, it lasts for an eternity. Unfortunately, Allegretto is disturbed by a snowball hitting him in the head.

"Yow!"

"Haha! Directhit! I am the tickling snowballmonstress! Yeah!" squeals Anocora.

Another hits Allegretto in the back…the young man sighs, his wife biting back her laughter.

"I did it too!" cheers Harmony.

"Honey…I love you. Now excuse me…"

Polka bursts into laughter as Allegretto runs into the fire of snowballs, making some of his own and throwing them all. Melody merely watches as she makes her snowman, wondering how anyone that ever visits this home will ever be bored.

"Dad, you missed me again! Haha!"

"Pants may be the law, but I still throw snowballs really good!"

"Harmony! Anocora! I will get you both for this!"

More snowballs are deployed.

"Whoa!"

"Cold!"

"Now you know how it feels! Now bring it!"

Polka smiles, laughing very hard as her lips remain warm in the flying winds of ice, her heart bursting with love and joy.

"I should probably make some hot cocoa…"


End file.
